The Spiritual Beings in the Heavenly Bodies and in the Kingdoms of Nature Lec 10

7/28/2019 The Spiritual Beings in the Heavenly Bodies and in the Kingdoms of Nature Lec 10

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The Spiritual Beings in the Heavenly Bodies andin the Kingdoms of Nature

Lecture 10: Spiritual Beings in the Heavenly Bodies and in theKingdoms of Nature

LECTURE 10

April 14, 1912

AFTER the statements which we were able to make in the last lecture onthe cooperation of the spirits of the various hierarchies in the kingdoms of nature, there still remains the mineral kingdom to be considered. We call to

mind that we described the mineral kingdom by saying that its physicalpart alone exists in the physical world; while that which corresponds to theetheric body of the mineral we have to seek in the so-called astral world;the astral body in the Lower Devachanic world, and the actual group-ego of the mineral kingdom on the higher Devachanic plane. Thus the mineralkingdom presents a remarkable contrast to, man. Whilst we have to say with regard to man that all four principles of his being are active on thephysical plane the physical as well as the etheric body, the astral body and the ego we must as it were, distribute all that man has on the oneplane and say: with regard to the mineral we have to seek on the astralplane that which corresponds to the etheric body of man; on theDevachanic plane the astral body; and on the higher Devachanic plane thegroup-ego of the mineral. Thus, that which in man is concentrated on thephysical plane, is in the case of the mineral divided in its activity, amongthe various worlds. Again, when we trace with occult vision what is really inquestion, we arrive at the following result. In the sense of occultism wemust, in the first place, seek only that part of the mineral kingdom on thephysical plane which is perceptible to the external senses. We must be quiteclear as to the fact that only what we call the forms, the shapes of themineral kingdom, are perceptible. We know this can only be touchedupon here that the mineral world, at any rate in part, encounters usformed, organized, in such a manner that we perceive this formation assuitable to the mineral nature. If we look at a certain body of cubic form,and at another of a different form, we know that these forms are notaccidental but are connected in a certain way with the nature of themineral. Now occult investigation teaches us that the forms in the mineral which we call crystal-forms, can be traced back to the action of the Spiritsof Form. Now because occultism always starts from reality and seeks tofind the origin of this or that, names are so bestowed in occultism that the

name points to something characteristic. The name Spirits of Form waschosen for the reason that in the kingdom which we on earth describe as


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the mineral kingdom, the Spirits of Form display their activity; and furtherthat the offspring of the Spirits of Form in the sense in which we havespoken of offspring of the higher hierarchies in the course of these lectures,are above all, active there. To understand the nature of the minerals we

must be quite clear that, to physical perception, generally speaking, only the forms of the minerals exist. To be sure, certain forces are evident in themineral kingdom such as the forces of electricity, magnetism forcesthat cause the minerals to appear in certain colors; but we must be quiteclear that in general only the form of the mineral kingdom is to be observedon the physical plane. Without taking the other qualities into account, letus consider the forms which we encounter, at any rate in most of themineral kingdom, and let us be quite clear that this pure form proceedsfrom the mode of operation of the Spirits of Form or their offspring.

Now we come to the so-called etheric body, which we must describe as thesecond principle of a being of the mineral kingdom. The occult investigatorcannot find what he has to describe as the etheric body of the mineral in thephysical world; but he finds it in the same realm in which he must seek, if,for instance he wishes to find the astral body of the plant, or the group-egoof the animal. As we saw yesterday, he need make no other preparation with regard to his soul than that necessary for finding the group-ego of theanimal. With the same condition of consciousness with which he perceivesthe group-ego of the animal, he also perceives the astral body of the plant,and that which lies behind the mineral kingdom as its etheric body. Now we have seen that we must extend our observations into the region of theplanets of a planetary system; in our own planetary system to those planets which exist outside the earth. And we have shown that the correspondingforces externalizing themselves in the group-egos of the animals and theastral bodies of the plants, work directly from the planetary centers.Thither must we also go if we wish to seek for that which works etherically in the mineral. How a mineral is laved by life-powers can first be seen if wepenetrate to that universal life which is common to all, from the earth tothe rest of the planets of our planetary system. Thus the principle by whichthe mineral is animated, the life of the mineral, is not to be found in thephysical world, or in the realm of what our earth directly offers us, but inthe life-streams pouring down from the planets; stimulated constantly, to be sure, by the sun, but still streaming down directly from the planets, andpermeating our earth-planet livingly; in order to permeate all that is form with their offspring, the etheric nature-spirits, of which we have spoken.Thus form has inner-being; in other words, the form of the mineral whichproceeds solely from the physical plane, is not permeable but offersresistance. Were nothing active in the mineral but what is active on thephysical plane, then the mineral would only make itself perceptible as

form; but this form is filled with inner-being. For the mineral has alsoinner-being; it has the inner-being of the various mineral substances. Not


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only has it form, it has matter, it has substance. When we directly perceivethis substance in the physical world, it appears to us as a dead, lifelesssubstance. To cosmic space it is not dead, to planetary space at least, it issomething which is part of its own life, which is precipitated from the life of

the planetary system. Just as the human or animal organism separates off hard products the nails, for instance so is the mineral substance putforth; but the active forces by means of which it is put forth are not to besought upon the earth itself; hence it appears to the earth as dead. Thesestreams of life, these life-forces, this etheric body must be sought asstreaming down from the several planets. Just as in considering the group-egos of the animals we could say: In reality only the general forms aretreated by the group-egos of the animals, and these are then furtherdeveloped; so must we say: The streams of life sent down by the individualplanets which permeate the earth from all sides, do not create forms for the

minerals, for those are created by the Spirits of Form; but through thesestreams the minerals are permeated with inner-being. But this occurs insuch a way that this inner-being gives certain main types, main substances:and each substance is thereby connected with a stream proceeding fromone of the planets.

Now because the minerals at once acquired solid forms, mobile types arenot created from the planets by means of these planetary streams, but typesof one kind only. And then through the various positions of the planets, as Ihave already described with regard to the group-souls of the animals besides the main types, and substances other types, subordinatesubstances are created, which again depend on the constellation of theindividual planets. But what the planets create, each through its ownoriginal nature, is expressed in the principal substances of the earth'sorganism. Thus we have certain mineral main substances of the earth'sorganism of which we can say. Here is a substance which is what it is because it is permeated by an etheric stream from one of the planets;another is permeated by a stream from another planet. Thus we have totrace back the nature of mineral substances to activities in the planetary system which externalize as etheric streams in the organism of the earth.Therefore the occult schools which have to investigate such matters havealso so referred the principal substances of our earth-organism to theplanets, that they have designated those substances which have beenproduced quite directly not through the constellation but through theprincipal activity of the planet by the same or similar names as theplanets; and indeed in such a way that occult observation has been strictly adhered to. If we observe the planet Saturn in our system we find that thelife stream which permeates the earth directly from him is connected withthe substance we call lead: so that we have a basic substance which is

inwardly animated by Saturn. From Jupiter we get tin as main substance;from Mars, iron; and in the occult sense, from Venus, copper. With regard


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Thus while this etheric substance is itself directed by the planet, it is driveninto and held within the mineral or crystal by the sun, by the forces belonging to the sphere of the Spirits of Wisdom. But now something very remarkable is seen. If we investigate occultly the activity exercised by theastral forces from the sun upon the mineral, we recognize very clearly atthis point a very important fact; we learn that while all the etheric forcesproceeding from the planets work upon the mineral and actually form its basic substances, other etheric streams also pass down from the sun as

such to the earth. Thus, while in general, for the normal formation of themineral, the etheric substance passes down from the planets, and is only compressed from outside by the forces proceeding from the sun, yet wecannot say that no etheric streams come down from the sun, for it is a factthat such an etheric stream does come down. What is the reason of this? Why does an etheric stream come down from the sun which can, as it were,inwardly animate the mineral? Why does this take place? It is broughtabout by the activity of what I have designated as the Luciferic principle.The spirits in the ranks of the higher hierarchies which work astrally uponthe mineral are as we have just said the Spirits of Wisdom: whilst theSpirits of Motion work etherically.

Now there are Spirits of Wisdom active on the sun who have gone throughtheir complete normal process of evolution; they work, as has beendescribed, astrally upon the mineral. But certain of the Spirits of Wisdomhave become Luciferic. We have designated this becoming Luciferic of certain spiritual beings of a hierarchy, as a sort of rebellion in the cosmos.This rebellion comes about because certain spirits having reached a givenstage in their hierarchy, resist their brethren and work against them; work in an opposite direction. This opposition comes about simply because they do not wish to go through the evolution which the others do; so they simply


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remain behind at an earlier stage, just as we know in our own souls that we wish to progress, yet the ideas and habits we have acquired Will not allow us to do so because they wish to remain as a permanence. Our habits areoften rebels against what we have acquired in a new epoch of life. In like

manner the spiritual beings who remain behind at an earlier stage arerebels in the Cosmos. The Luciferic Spirits, the Spirits of Wisdom of theSecond Hierarchy who have not gone through their development with therest instead of sending astral streams from the sun to the mineral, sendetheric streams to the earth. This resulted in a certain basic substance being formed, which received its inner-being, not from the planets butdirectly from the sun; and this mineral is gold. Gold is that Lucifericmineral which as regards its inner-being is not influenced etherically by theplanets, but by the sun. Hence the occultist has allotted gold to the sun. In acertain sense this mineral is therefore somewhat different from other

metals.

Now you can easily grasp that because etheric streams come from the sunand work something into the earth which is actually a rebel principle, theequilibrium of the earth is thereby disturbed. The equilibrium of the earthin relation to the mineral kingdom would be maintained if all the ethericinfluences came from the planets, and none but astral influences came tothe minerals from the sun; but there are also direct etheric forces comingfrom the sun and these disturb the equilibrium. Now, this equilibrium hadto he re-established by the Wise Leaders of the world; for the earth couldnot carry out her evolution under such conditions. The hierarchies had to work in cooperation so that the equilibrium might be re-established. Thestronger Luciferic forces had to be opposed by other forces which in acertain sense paralyzed them and arrested their effects. That could only come about through the etheric stream which came from the sun beingopposed by another, which counteracted, and in a certain sense, balancedits effects. Thus while certain Spirits of Wisdom proved themselvesLuciferic and sent down etheric currents from the sun into the mineralkingdom on the earth, other spirits took care that these were opposed by other currents. These opposing currents which re-adjusted the equilibrium, were created by a part of the disturbed equilibrium substance beingdetached from the earth and circling round the earth as moon. Thus theetheric streams coming from the sun came into opposition to the ethericstream which flowed from the moon to the earth from quite a differentquarter, and in this way the balance was re-established. Thus becauseLuciferic Spirits of Wisdom on the sun had attained the possibility of sending forth etheric streams, other Spirits of Wisdom renounced theirclaim to working from the sun, and consented to apply their forces torestoring the equilibrium. That is, a cosmic colony, a planetary colony was

founded on the moon, from which there now streamed etheric currents tothe earth, so that a substance was created which had to be in the earth so


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that the direct power of gold might be weakened. This came about by themoon being separated from the earth; and from the Spirits of Wisdom whoseparated the moon, and who now, in a sense, became the opposers of theLuciferic Spirits of Wisdom from the sun, stream down to the earth those

etheric forces which have produced the substance silver. Thus you see thatin the universe, in the cosmos, certain things work in such a way that onemight explain it by means of a certain diagram; but the peculiar thing isthat the diagram would everywhere be broken through. If anyone were toprove by means of a diagram that all the etheric forces for the mineralscome from the planets, he would be in error; for in reality two ethericstreams come from two different sides, the one from the sun, the otherfrom the moon; hence two basic substances are formed in a different way.

If we wish to make what I have just described, objective, perceptible to our

senses, and to find an external expression for it, we can achieve it in thefollowing way; but we must first of all be clear as to what it really is that wesee when we look at the sun. We pointed out previously that only the spiritsof the higher hierarchies down to the Spirits of Wisdom go through theirown evolution on the fixed star; what we see when we look at the fixed staris the actual content-substance of the Spirits of Wisdom. That is the truecontent of the fixed star. Indeed we human beings can only gain a conceptof that which is the substance of the Spirits of Wisdom, by contemplating what exists in us, as at any rate an image of this substance. What is that inus, in humanity, in the human soul, which is a symbol of the substance of the Spirits of Wisdom? Our thoughts! But we do not see our thoughts withthe physical eyes, that is the point; neither can the fixed stars, in so far asthey are the fields of activity for the genuine Spirits of Wisdom, be seen with physical eyes. We have now reached a point where we can point againto the enormous significance of what we find in the religious documents, which are based on occultism. You know that the Bible, in Genesis, statesthat man was created in a very peculiar way. We are told that Luciferappeared to Eve and told her that if she would do as he wished, her eyes would be opened. Anyone who knows the original text will not readily beput off with a merely symbolical explanation; for what the Bible means by good and evil does not refer to moral good and evil; that belongs to quite adifferent part of the development of civilisation. What is here meant asgood and evil is that which is seen externally, not as something spiritually-psychic, but something seen with the physical eyes: Your eyes shall heopened. Till then they were not open. This must he taken quite literally.Before Lucifer approached man, man could perceive; he saw the fixed stars with the primitive clairvoyance then given to man, but his vision was suchthat he saw the substance of the fixed stars as the substance of the Spirits of Wisdom; he saw them spiritually. He only began to see them physically,

that is, perceptible light first streamed towards him perceptibly to hisphysical eyes, when he himself, the human being, had yielded to the


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appear to us in symbol, in a Maya, shining down from the moon, becausethe sunlight is reflected. When for instance, the crescent moon reflects thesunlight, there are then no Luciferic Spirits of Wisdom on the moon itself, but what is poured forth from the sun by the Luciferic Spirits of Wisdom is

reflected as light.Now when we turn our occult vision to the moon, that which the physicaleyes perceive, the shining crescent moon, disappears, for that exists only for physical vision; but in its place occult vision sees the real being behindall visible light in the cosmos; sees the form of Lucifer, though certainly as areflection. Thus, if we think of the image of Lucifer as seen by occult visionin the place of the crescent moon, we must say: The moon owes its origin tothe circumstances that certain normal Spirits of Wisdom renounced theirdwelling-place on the sun and have taken up their abode in this colony, and

thence restrain that which streams forth from the Luciferic Spirits. Henceto occult vision the Spirit of Wisdom does not reveal himself here, abovethe crescent of the moon, but is to be seen restraining the Lucifericprinciple. The occult fact is thus presented symbolically to the imagination,as a normal Spirit of Wisdom holding the Luciferic principle in subjection.The occultists therefore represent a form, usually taken to be a Chief Messenger of the higher Spirits of Wisdom, of one who curbs Lucifer; andin place of the crescent they represent Lucifer chained, curbed. This is anoccult picture. Among our occult pictures there is also one representing thechief Messenger curbing Lucifer. This is an allusion to profound occultmysteries. What is thus shown externally in Maya, is in reality to beascribed to the cooperation of the Spirits of the Hierarchies. When withphysical eyes we see the crescent moon shining silver bright, there is oftento be seen a sort of shadow above in the dark part; then to occult vision thecrescent moon is transformed into a living Being, with the restraining Spiritabove it, maintaining the balance from its place on the moon. Thus you seethat even to produce a phenomenon such as our earth moon, many preparations had to be made in the COSMOS. The cooperative activities of the various hierarchies in the cosmos is a very complicated matter and evenin a much longer course of lectures we Could still only give suggestions of it; we can only make clear the principle as to how these spiritual,hierarchies cooperate.

Please hold fast the thought just mentioned in connection with the astral body of the minerals. We have, indeed, still to consider the group-ego of theminerals; that has to be sought in a still higher supersensible world in a world not found in the regions where the group-egos of the animals orplants are to be found. Therefore we cannot find it upon the sun. Wherethen does the group-ego of the minerals reveal itself to occult vision? The

peculiar thing about the group-ego of the minerals is, that, strictly speaking, it does not end anywhere when we search in cosmic space; it is in


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the whole widths of cosmic space and works from there. We are thereforedriven to seek actually for the group-ego of the minerals outside theplanetary system; we must look upon it as something which works into theplanetary system from outside. Thus far this coincides with what we know

from the Akashic Records, that the next higher class of beings above theSpirits of Wisdom are the Thrones, or Spirits of Will. These Spirits of Will belong to the First Hierarchy (though their offspring are not so faradvanced that they can be reckoned with it), these Spirits of Will or theiroffspring give forth that which becomes the group-ego of the minerals, and which, in fact, works into the planetary system. This also coincides with thefact that simultaneously with the out-pouring of the substance of the Spiritsof Will, begins the formation of the planetary system on ancient Saturn which was brought about by the Spirits of Will. They still work in the same way at the present time as when the first embodiment of our earth was built

up out of the Universe by these beings. We can really only see these Spiritsof Will when, having become Luciferic, they reveal themselves in a sense incertain phenomena which we find as minerals in the sphere of the earth,and which come, as it were, from cosmic space. The cosmic origin, thesuper-earthly origin of what we are now considering, is revealed by the factthat when these Spirits of Will thus work in they combine very, very easily with that which works into the planetary system as the cometary andmeteoric beings as cometary or meteoric life.

We have pointed out what meaning this life has in the planetary system. Ishould like at least to indicate that in reality a comet is something whichcomes in from outside, but which makes certain combinations. In as muchas the comet travels through the planetary system it combines with themineral kingdom which also arises through the Spirits of Will. And theresult may be that as the comet rushes through the planetary system itattaches mineral substance to itself, which is then attracted by the earthand falls down upon it. This of course is not the comet, but rather does itannounce its approach to the earth by a fall of meteors taking place. Thesethings are absolutely in accord, and if certain things appear to contradict what was represented earlier, we must always understand that thesecontradictions will solve themselves if everything is taken intoconsideration and studied. This was only an, example to show that in theplanetary system we really have to do with influences working in from thecosmos. These group-souls of the minerals work in the form of rays from without inwards. And since various modes of operation come from the various aspects of space, for space is not homogeneous, these group-soulsof the minerals, which belong to the sphere of the Spirits of Will, ray towards us from different sides in the most varied manner. Now throughthe cooperation of what comes from the planets for the minerals, what

comes from the sun, and what streams in from the universe from the various directions arises the possibility that not only have those basic types


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already mentioned come into existence in the mineral kingdom, but allsorts of other forms, all sorts of differently modified substances of themineral kingdom have been formed. The kind of substance a mineralexhibits simply depends on the way the forces which come from the planets

are again influenced by other forces either streaming astrally to the earthfrom the sun, or from various directions of cosmic space. The variety andmultiplicity of the mineral kingdom can be understood in this way.

If we observe our present-day Saturn, it presents itself in the first place tooccult vision as the outermost planet of our System. Why? Because actually Saturn as planet, as well as ancient Saturn, the first of the successiveincarnations of our earth known to us, was produced by the furthestcurrents coming from cosmic space. Had we been able to observe Saturn ata very early condition of our earth evolution, we should have seen that in

his orbit he had a sort of nucleus and a sort of comet's tail, which passedout into cosmic space. In olden times Saturn would have revealed himself definitely with a nucleus and a comet's tail, extending into cosmic space.That is, in the primeval periods of our earth, Saturn would have been seencircling round his orbit with his tail pointing outwards. He was earlier likethis (see below). The facts of the Akasha Chronicle show him thus:

The tail of ancient Saturn took the most varied directions out into space,corresponding with the currents which came in from the cosmos, directed by the Spirits of Will, who are the group-souls of the minerals. At a laterperiod, when through the spiritual beings of other hierarchies, theplanetary system was enclosed, that which had formerly gone out intocosmic space was so drawn together that the tail became an enclosed ring;through the power of attraction of the planetary system the ring wasformed. To occult vision the ring of Saturn is absolutely the same

phenomenon as the comet's tail. If you were to take the ring of Saturn as itcircles round Saturn and open it out, you would have a comet's tail. ( See
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Diagram .)

In this way it is possible to look back to the streaming in of the group-soulsof the minerals into our planetary system; and again the Signs of the Zodiac

in general give us their individual positions. It is to he noted that the twooutermost planets now reckoned as belonging to our system by physicalastronomy Uranus and Neptune did not originally belong to our SolarSystem; they came much later into the sphere of attraction of our system:they then joined company and remained within it. They cannot therefore bereckoned in the same sense as the other planets as belonging to our systemfrom Saturn onwards, for they, so to speak, belonged to it from the beginning. Thus, when we consider Saturn, especially in his ancient form, we see in him a planet which, by sending forth etheric currents from hisown center to our earth, creates we can even say the substance of lead.

At the same time we see how the group-souls of the minerals stream in; wesee how these group-souls are affected when a power of attraction isexercised on them from the sun, from which the astral body of the mineralstreams out. From the sun the astral body of the mineral streams out intospace; from outside in cosmic Space the ego of the mineral streams in. When these currents are united something takes place which, in a modified way, expresses itself, as it were, in a fructification of the group-ego by theastral body, and by this means alone does the mineral come to itsperfection. Now if we go back to the comet, here, too, we have something which, in fact, streams in from cosmic space: a similar stream of beings tothe group-souls of the minerals. The group-souls of the minerals belong tothe sphere of the Spirits of Will; but above them lie the beings whoessentially form the basis of cometary life. But as everywhere there areLuciferic Beings, so also within the comet there are such as stand at thestage of the Thrones, not of the Cherubim and Seraphim. That is why thecomet acquires a mineral nature; appears as a mineral intervention in theplanetary system; in other words, we have to look upon the comets ascosmic bodies which fly in from the cosmos after the planetary system isalready formed and thus do not come as far as the bodies composing thesystem itself, but remain behind at a considerably earlier stage. It wouldcertainly be very fascinating to trace the stages of cosmic growth; how worlds are formed by the cooperative activities of the spirits of thehierarchies in a fixed-star system; how those same spirits themselvesappear when we direct our gaze back to cosmic mists and far-distant fixedstars. Whenever we direct our occult vision to a fixed star, we first of allencounter the normal Spirits of Wisdom. The whole heavens would beinvisible to physical sight and only visible to clairvoyant consciousness if none but these normal Spirits of Wisdom were active; but everywhereLuciferic spirits are mingled with the normal Spirits of Wisdom, and bring

physical light of its own into the world of the fixed star. When at night thestarry heaven is illuminated, Phosphorus actually works down upon us
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from countless points: and everywhere in the universe we find thepossibility of formation only through the cooperation of the opposingforces; through the combined working of the normal spirits of thehierarchies with those who are rebels that is, those who have remained

behind. Unillumined to physical eyes but visible to spiritual sight, is thestarry world through the normal Spirits of Wisdom; it became luminous tophysical eyes, it is revealed in Maya through Lucifer or the Luciferic spirits who are, and must be, active everywhere.

Thus, we have seen something very remarkable in the mineral kingdomalso. To-day we have, so to speak, grasped the moon as a field of actionfrom which a Spirit of Wisdom works and restrains Lucifer, because a placehad to be created from which through opposition of the Luciferic activity,the balance would be restored. Now what signification had this for

humanity? We have seen that in man everything is compressed into thephysical plane which as it were, for the mineral, is distributed over the worlds. We have found group-souls for the minerals, plants and animals. Isthere also a sort of group-soul for the human being? Oh, yes, there is. Thegroup-souls of the minerals are to be found in the sphere of the Thrones,those of the plants in the sphere of the Spirits of Wisdom, and the animalsin the sphere of the Spirits of Motion; but man has so received his group-soul that with the inflowing of his ego, a group-soul was originally givenhim, as an emanation from the Spirits of Form. This group-soul of man wasoriginally allotted by the Spirits of Form to be a unitary soul for the wholeof humanity. What differentiated this group-soul into such variety thatdifferences of race, differences of tribe arose? This was brought aboutthrough the action of other spirits. Man was created to be one all the worldover; in this unity the primeval ego of man was to assert itself as a group-soul dwelling in all men, a group-soul which had descended to the physicalplane. Just as the external form only of the minerals can be brought into being by the Spirits of Form, so by these same Spirits of Form was thegroup-ego created for humanity, which was then differentiated by theactivity of other beings of the various hierarchies. Now the balance broughtabout for the mineral kingdom through the formation of the moon was also brought about for humanity; and indeed in such a way that whilst for themineral realm in the moon there is a physical readjustment, in exactly thesame way a moon-principle exists for humanity, which works against theLuciferic influence in human nature, just as in the mineral kingdom thedark moon-principle works against the Lucifer principle. Just as in themineral kingdom something is active in the moon which keeps the balance with regard to the Luciferic forces streaming down from the sun, so does aspiritual moon-principle work from the moon against the temptation of Lucifer which man has encountered in the course of the earth evolution. As

we have seen, all the planets, all the heavenly bodies stand in connection with beings of the higher hierarchies, and so, too, is it with the moon. The


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Spirits of Wisdom founded a colony upon the moon in order to preserve theequilibrium; and so from the direction of the moon there also Work inupon humanity compensating spirits against Lucifer, who approached manas a tempter; and just as he disseminated light, so, too, did his spiritual

principle sink down into the human soul. So we can also point to the moonas the bearer of the opponent of Lucifer; as the dwelling-place of dark spirits, who yet must be there that the balance may be maintained withregard to the Light-bearers pressing forward, who, at the same time, are thetempting spirits to humanity. In fact, the secret of the moon and itsspiritual principle was first revealed to humanity in the old Hebrew Records, and what we have found physically in the moon is, in its spiritualaspect, what Hebrew antiquity designated as the Jehovah principle.

According to this the moon, so to speak, is designated as the starting-point

of the forces working upon humanity as the opponents of Lucifer. Jahveh,or Jehovah, is the opponent of Lucifer. The secret doctrine of the ancientHebrews looked up to the Sun, saying: In the Sun work the invisible Spiritsof Wisdom who are only visible to spiritual, not to physical sight. The lattersees the principle of Lucifer raying down. What is to be seen externally asthe sun principle is Lucifer; but therein works secretly, invisible to physical vision, everything attainable through the Spirits of Wisdom, who form thegateway to it. One of these Spirits of Wisdom separated and sacrificedhimself, and has taken up his abode upon the moon in order through hisactivity there to curb the light and also to counteract the spiritual work of Lucifer. Hebrew antiquity saw in Jehovah an Ambassador of those trueexalted spirits to whom vision is opened through the Spirits of Wisdom, if the sun is looked upon with spiritual sight. Hebrew antiquity justly concluded that Jehovah must continue to work from the moon untilhumanity has become inwardly mature enough to perceive and feel at leasta little of that which gradually in the course of evolution will be both seenand understood that from the same sun proceeds not only the physicalpart of Lucifer, but also the dissemination of that of which the Spirits of Wisdom are the portal. Thus to the ancient Hebrew there appeared inJehovah that which is similar to the Spirits of Wisdom in the sun, and wecan say: just as the sunlight is reflected from the moon in space, so to theancient Hebrew who really knew, Jehovah was the reflection of thatSpiritual Being Who, when man shall have become sufficiently mature, willray down from the sun, and Whose appearance was foretold by the Holy Rishis, Zarathustra, and the worshippers of Osiris. Just as in space sunlightis reflected from the moon, so Jehovah is revealed as a reflection of theprinciple of the great Sun-Spirit Whom you may designate by whatevername you will Vishvakarma, as the ancient Indians called him; AhuraMazdao, as He was called by Zarathustra, Osiris by the ancient Egyptians,

or as the Christ, as He is known to the fourth post-Atlantean period of civilisation that is, the esoteric comprehension of Jehovah. He is Christ


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reflected by the moon-principle and because reflected in time, Christannounced prophetically. Hence in St. John's Gospel we come across apassage which otherwise can never be understood, in which it is said thatMoses spoke of Christ. Actually, he spoke of Jehovah, but it is Christ,

prophetically announced. This passage, in which Jehovah is mentioned isreferred to because the bearer of the Christ wishes to point out that inantiquity Jehovah is but Christ foretold.

Thus we see that these things are in accord, and that what we have heardto-day is connected with what was said in the last lecture; and that in what we call the external light and its bearer we must recognize something whichis in opposition to the spiritual principle which is at the normal point of itsevolution, and which appears to us as the spiritual center of our planetary system. It is not a question of names, but of recognizing the whole

significance of this Principle. We must recognize that in the realm of thespiritual, we speak of Christ just as in that of the physical we speak of theSun; that in the realm of the spiritual we speak of the planetary spirits andof the planets just as in the development of earthly civilisation we speak,perhaps, of the principle of Buddha. Here again is a point concerning which you find one of the important revelations you come across in H. P.Blavatsky. What great revelations there are in The Secret Doctrine you cansee by the way H. P. Blavatsky treats the conception of Jehovah. We neednot recoil at this, or think things are not correct because she shows acertain antipathy towards Christ and Jehovah; the truth neverthelesspresses through, and the description of Jehovah as a Moon divinity, andthe presentation of Lucifer as his opponent as given by H. P. Blavatsky is one might say the broken expression of a truth. The presentation givenfrom inspiration by Blavatsky is only given a subjective coloring by her, because she had a feeling that Lucifer was really a good Divinity she felthim as such. She preferred him, in a certain sense to the Moon-god, because to her Lucifer was a Sun-god. That is correct; he is that; but we hadto represent the true connection in order that the expression used in formertimes. Christ is the true Lucifer, Christus verus Luciferus, may beunderstood. It does not sound quite right to us today; but at that time whenpeople knew from the old Secret Doctrine that the Light-Bearer manifestsin the external physical light, and that, if we penetrate through the physicallight to the Spirits of Wisdom, to the spiritual light, then we reach theLight-Bearer of that Light.

Christus verus Luciferus I think, in spite of the incompleteness which was inevitable in our rendering of this comprehensive theme, yet what wealways wish to attain in the sphere of Spiritual Science has come before your souls, that the treatment of every theme leads us to look up from the

physical to the spiritual. With regard to the heavenly bodies which, as theexpression of the wonders of the universe, shine forth from space, that is in


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many respects, very difficult; because in the heavenly bodies there is acomplicated cooperation of the beings of the various hierarchies, and because everything which takes place in cosmic space can only becomprehended if, behind all matter, even behind the substance of light

itself, we find the Spirit or Spirits. Behind all this Spiritual Life lies theUniversal, Divine Fatherhood, an Omnipresent and ever-working All-Divine Life, which before It comes to expression in the physical, isdifferentiated into countless worlds of Spiritual Hierarchies. We look up tothese worlds, however, and see within them, That which works down intoour kingdoms of nature, and is the foundation of all the wonders of theheavens. For even in our kingdoms of nature either the hierarchiesthemselves are revealed or their offspring. When we thus look out into thespaces of heaven, we can, through such reflections, also gain a moralimpression which must, if we allow the mighty operations of the hierarchies

in cosmic space to gain a little influence over us, result in our being drawnaway from the passions, desires, impulses and concepts which our physicalearth-life brings to maturity. These are, in essence, that which flings downinto the development of the earth that which divides humanity intofactions, which makes men all over the world opponents or partisans, in themost varied directions. In a higher moral sense we attain a sense of freedom, if but for a brief time, we free ourselves from the consideration of earthly things, and contemplate the worlds of spirit in cosmic space. Thendo we become free from that which otherwise plays in our egotisticalimpulses, which are the original cause of all the smallnesses and quarrelingupon earth. Hence the most certain means of attaining the high ideals of our Anthroposophical life is to direct our gaze from time to time to thestarry worlds and their spiritual guides and leaders, the hierarchies. If weinvestigate the different civilizations as we have tried to do and thesignificance of the inspiring spirits of the various religions and of the bearers of Wisdom to humanity, we shall cease to strive on earth asfollowers of individual systems. We shall not depend on names, nor on thecreeds of the several groups of men on the earth. When men seek theirknowledge there where the vision of all the humanity of the earth can he

directed, and where the knowledge common to all can be obtained knowledge which unites and does not separate when men actually reachthat heavenly language which expresses the significance of the variousreligious Founders and Inspirers of humanity, then will the Anthroposophical ideal of a tolerant and unbiased consideration of allreligions and cosmic conceptions be really able to appear. Men will nolonger quarrel when they no longer claim for their own group a particular bearer of religion or stream of civilisation, but seek for the origin of these bearers outside in cosmic space. In this sense such a contemplation may acquire great moral importance if in much which formerly brought

divisions and disharmonies upon earth, peace and harmony areestablished. Only we must learn to read the mighty writing given us in the


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forms and movements of the heavenly bodies learn to read how, inreality, not different but the same spirits, work for each single individual onearth that they belong to all men. This might be explained by means of aphysical picture. As long as we remain on the earth, a group of people may

dwell in the North or in the South, East or West. But when we look uponthe movement of the earth and observe how it turns its face to the stars when it changes its position whether in short periods of time or inmillions of years how the southern half turns to the northern and thestars of our northern heavens become visible, and then the northern part of our earth turns to the south and perceives the stars of the southernheavens. Just as the earth in the course of time turns its countenance, so tospeak, to all the stars which shine to us from cosmic space, so may humanity learn through the ideals of Anthroposophy to look in an unbiasedmanner upon all which speaks spiritually from cosmic space. Through such

a positive consideration of facts this ideal will best be reached notthrough a sentimental emphasis of love and peace. In a real way shall weattain love and peace and harmony, if we direct our vision away from theconcerns of earth which divide humanity into races, nations, religions tothe starry heavens, where spirits speak the same language to us through alltime, even through all eternity; the same language for every human soul,for every human heart, if only we understand it rightly.

In this sense I should like now, at the end of our course of lectures, to pointto the moral effects of such considerations, if we take the trouble to learn toknow the facts of occultism., If we learn to know them in the true occultsense, what has been learnt will so stream into our hearts that it becomes alife-force within us, a living hope; and, above all, will become moral energy,and really make us what we may call citizens of the heavenly worlds. Thenthrough his spiritual life a man carries heaven into the concerns of earth,and thus in the course of the processes of civilisation, brings about that which, in the highest sense, we can designate as harmony, as peace. Then will man become more and more conscious that at the very beginning as well as at the end of the evolution of civilisation an undivided Spirit really governs, a Spirit of Form, Who works uniformly throughout humanity, while He is stimulated by His brothers, the other Spirits of Form, who doHim service, in order to send a uniform working through the whole of humanity. Thus through true heavenly science something uniform is brought to men, and this will promote the intellectual and moralunderstanding of humanity on the earth. Thus we do not wish to considermerely the abstract and theoretical; but every such consideration ought atthe same time to become in us a source of power, above all, a source of moral power; and then will all our teachings, even those which appeardrawn from afar, serve to forward the direct aims and ideals of Spiritual

Science.


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With these words, my dear friends, which should gather up the whole spiritand character of these lectures into a certain nuance of feeling, I should likeat their close to take farewell of you all.

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The Spiritual Beings in the Heavenly Bodies and in the Kingdoms of Nature Lec 10